On the half-hour drive from her Sunnyside home to her Fourth Ward school each morning, Tchanori Kone often sees homeless people gathered near downtown highway overpasses.

"I wondered why can't they have homes like other people, like us," said Tchanori, a fifth-grader at Gregory-Lincoln Education Center. "There can be children that are homeless and aren't going to school and aren't getting anything to eat."

Tchanori's desire to help the people she sees, to give them access to better health care and education and jobs, became the bedrock of her speech Friday at the 22nd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition, where she took first place among 12 competitors. The event features fourth- and fifth-grade students from across Houston ISD, who deliver memorized speeches of three to five minutes, each inspired by the words of the civil rights icon.

Gregory-Lincoln Elementary student Tchanori Kone jumps for joy after being announced as the winner of the 22nd Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition Friday, Jan. 12, 2018 in Houston.

Gregory-Lincoln Elementary student Tchanori Kone jumps for joy after being announced as the winner of the 22nd Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition Friday, Jan. 12, 2018 in Houston.

Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle

Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle

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Gregory-Lincoln Elementary student Tchanori Kone jumps for joy after being announced as the winner of the 22nd Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition Friday, Jan. 12, 2018 in Houston.

Gregory-Lincoln Elementary student Tchanori Kone jumps for joy after being announced as the winner of the 22nd Annual Gardere MLK Jr. Oratory Competition Friday, Jan. 12, 2018 in Houston.

The competition is held each year at downtown Houston's Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, which was founded in 1866 by emancipated slaves and became the city's first African-American Baptist church. With several hundred people crowded into church pews, including Superintendent Richard Carranza and school board trustees Diana Dávila and Jolanda Jones, the elementary school students delivered their speeches responding to a common prompt: What is your dream for today's world?

This year's question led Tchanori to write a speech about eliminating the poverty she has witnessed across Houston. She argued that King, who died 50 years ago this April, would be disappointed in American efforts to help the poor, and said it's the responsibility of citizens to change that.

"I want all of our top government officials to take poverty, failing schools and health care seriously," Tchanori said during her speech. "The way to do this is through political action and voting."

She said she penned her speech after conversations with her 16-year-old brother and her mother, Tandiwe Kone, who frequently discusses societal issues with her daughter. Utilizing tips she picked up from a couple sessions with the Texas Southern University Debate Team, Tchanori gave a confident and measured speech.

"She has a spirit about her that's really calming," said Kesley Lewis, Tchanori's speech coach and math teacher at Gregory-Lincoln Education Center. "Nothing really excites her outwardly, but she has a passion and a drive and she's really, really focused."

Tchanori emerged victorious from a competition that began with a few hundred students from 24 schools. Caleb Kiteka, of Windsor Village Elementary School on the city's southwest side, finished in second place for a speech that focused on ending mass shootings and avoiding war with North Korea. Defending champion Nhedrick Jabier, of Crespo Elementary School on the city's southeast side, earned third place following his speech about achieving dreams that seem impossible.

Tchanori received a $1,000 prize, while Caleb took home $500, Nhedrick got $300 and the remaining competitors were awarded $100 each. The judges were University of Houston Law School Dean Leonard Baynes, U.S. District Court Judge George Hanks Jr., EEOC District Office Director Rayford Irvin, KTRK-TV anchor Melanie Lawson and NAACP Houston Chapter Executive Director Yolanda Smith.

In the finals, students often focused on promoting equality, reducing violence and avoiding international conflicts. Several addressed current events, such as the mass killings in Las Vegas and Orlando, escalating tensions with North Korea and the presidency of Donald Trump.

"We've heard some of it in the past, and we want them to do that," said Claude Treece, the event's chairman and CEO of Gardere, the competition's sponsor. "There are many current events that have gotten attention in the media and people who care about those things. Kids pick up on that, and I'm glad that they think about that."

A message of understanding and unity was behind each speech, regardless of the political influence. Shawn Ward, a student at Pleasantville Elementary School on the city's east side, drew loud applause after his speech about compassion.

"We have forgotten that compassion is a sign of strength, not weakness," Ward said. "We have failed because we're no longer compassionate toward each other."

Editor's note: A previous version of this story contained an inaccurate last name for Shawn Ward.